Severe Weather

Job fair helps veterans find jobs

Local veterans got the chance to find jobs in central Florida on Tuesday.

NBC News once again partnered with cities across America for the Hiring Our Heroes Initiative.

A job fair for veterans was held Tuesday at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at 7800 Universal Blvd. It began at 9 a.m. and ran until noon.

WESH 2's Marina Marraco talked with some local vets at the event who are trying to get back on their feet.

"I was making decent money in active duty with all my benefits. .... Now I'm saying, 'Hey, I'll take anything. If I have to, I'll clean bathrooms, I don't even care,'" veteran Michael Dodson said.

Dodson has been unemployed since September after nearly two decades in the armed forces. He had just left active duty and was hoping to settle down.

"It's very hard because I've got a lot of varied experience; I've put in probably about 70 applications and I really haven't even had a call back yet," Dodson said.

Hiring Our Heroes has seen success in the past and works to give the men and women who have fought for us an opportunity in the private sector.

"Bring to the forefront the veterans that are looking for work or transitioning out of active duty and for military spouses. Since 2011, we've run over 375 events nationwide and we've brought 14,000 jobs to the veteran community," said Ernie Lombardi of Hiring Our Heroes.

For some like Angela Lowe, a 13-year veteran, tough times call for desperate measures but always with a positive attitude.

"I just think it's really hard for everyone, I think for veterans because of our age, a lot has to do with it. But we'll see what happens, just keep the positive attitude, positive mind going. It's a great thing," Lowe said.

Copyright 2012 byWESH.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said Sunday it was "very alarmed" by reports of widespread doping by track and field athletes in major competitions including the Olympic Games and world championships.

The Obama administration will unveil a major climate change plan Monday aimed at a large reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the nation's coal-burning power plants, a senior administration official told CNN.

As top GOP presidential candidates arrived at a hotel here to court the influential donors of the Koch network, Charles Koch called on retreat attendees to unite with him in a campaign against "corporate welfare" and "irresponsible spending" by both ...